


Scentist

by Code_kpop



Category: B.A.P, EXO (Band), VIXX, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 14:39:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 7,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15753750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Code_kpop/pseuds/Code_kpop
Summary: "Pull your trigger at meMake me collapse onto youAim at my heartPossess me in my entirety."





	1. One Red Petal, One Young Leaf

**Author's Note:**

> This book was inspired by the song "Scentist" by Vixx. I wanted to make this book based on a rare ship, Jaeyeon (or Nen or Hakhwan or Idk). I hope this book gets a lot of love and support from the ao3 audience. 
> 
> Song I'll recommend for this book is "Trigger" by Vixx

The scent of the perfumes, which were placed on the shelves, were overpowering for the customers. Maybe they had sensitivity for scents. But for Ken, he was use to these scents, it didn't really bother him. 

He stood there, behind the counter; on the phone. 

Autumn was coming, meaning he'd have to make new rich and deep scented perfumes. It wasn't a hastle to make them, it was moreso tiring. 

A customer came in. Smiling at Ken. 

"Good evening." Ken bowed. 

"Good evening, I heard that the new stock has arrived." Hakyeon said. 

"Oh yes, it has," Ken smiled sweetly. Inhaling Hakyeon's warm scent. 

"Follow me." Ken escorts Hakyeon into a secluded room. Only a table and a chair were placed at the corner. The red curtains swayed with the wind. 

The white room definitely didn't smelled like any of the perfumes Ken made. Rather, it smelled musky. 

"I'll be back with the stock." Ken says as he bows lightly and stepped out of the door. 

Hakyeon made his way to the large window, standing there. 

The city looked beautiful at night. Artificial lights shining from here and there, cars racing, stars blooming. 

Hakyeon had always loved the sky. The way that it turns from a elegant light blue into a fierce navy was something he enjoyed the most. Not to mention clouds turning into stars. 

The wind smelled fresh, not musky anymore. He liked scents. He has tried everything. Perfumes, itar, colonge, perfume oils. You name it. He has tried every single perfume brand in the world too. But they weren't as good as Ken's. He captured moments in his scents. He captured time and feelings. 

Ken had he's own scent, something Hakyeon has never smelled before. He smelled clean and classy, not too strong and not too light. Ken has never used perfume on himself. Only if he had to test them, he likes to stay true to the scent he was naturally premated with and Hakyeon likes that. He likes the boy's scent oh so much. 

Hakyeon heard the door creek open. He turned around to see Ken holding a small, deep red glassed bottle with a golden, diamond like stopper. Clear liquid inside. 

He placed the object on the table. And stood there with his hands at the back. 

"How much worth is it?" He asked. 

"Around 2.5 million won."

"Well, fair enough." Hakyeon said as he looked up to see Ken's face. He smiled, slightly. 

"Wanna try it with me?" Said the eldest. 

"No, thank you." Ken declined, softly. 

"I always do it myself." Hakyeon mumbles. 

"Sorry, but I think you forgot that I have to run my store," Ken sighs. 

"I don't want to go around with such heavy scent on me."

"You can close early today." Hakyeon tries to sway him. 

"No Hakyeon, an important customer is soon to arrive."

"More important than me?"

Ken bit his bottom lip. Hakyeon was more important than anyone. More than himself. However, the customer was like the deal breaker. 

"Sadly." He says. Yeon sighs. 

"I'm sorry." 

"Its fine, I'll get going." Says Hakyeon. 

Ken followed him back into the shop entrance. 

"In return." Hakyeon speaks while pushing his hair back. 

"You'll make a special fragrance for me." He orders. The perfumer nods, assuring his master. 

He opened the car door for him. 

Hakyeon shoved himself in the vehicle and drove away. Leaving Ken alone. 

He stepped back into his shop. Behind his counter. He dialed a number on his candlestick phone. 

"Hello?" Spoke a rich voiced boy. 

"Hyuk, it's me hyung."

Ken touches the head of the phone. 

"Hyung, I told you not to call me with that vintage weird dildo looking thing. We live in the 21st century, you have your mobile phone too."

"Shut up, Hyuk." Ken rolls his eyes. 

"Are you with master?" The hyung asks. 

"Yes."

"Don't do anything funny okay? I'm trusting you."

"Don't worry, hyung. You can trust me."


	2. Icy Moonlight, Cloudy Eyes

Sanghyuk has always been loyal to Ken. He is way more younger than him but he's not a teenager. Even when he was one, he was always rough and tough; never letting anyone know his weakness. 

He still is the same. He's just more tall and built. He's a philanthropists, meaning he is generous to people. He does charity work for Ken and for him too. He stepped into the shop with his master. 

The customer is a 27 year old man with (dyed) white hair, which were swept back. He was in a green tuxedo. An emerald ring was laced on his middle finger, he had ear piercing too.

"Good evening, master." Ken bows. 

"Good evening." Replies the white headed man. 

"How was your flight?" Asks Ken. 

"It was fine, I guess." Says Taekwoon as he sits on the couch. 

"Definitely not interesting."

"I see." Ken nods a bit. A usual habit which Sanghyuk had notice growing up. 

"Are there any new scents in stock?" Asked Taekwoon. 

"No, I have to make new ones. I apologize for the delay." Says Ken. 

"It's fine, you need some rest too." His master says softly as he smooths a tiny wrinkle on his suit. 

Sanghyuk didn't like Taekwoon for his cold aura. But the master has never been mean towards him. 

"What about the stock from overseas?" Taekwoon raised an eyebrow. 

"Master Hakyeon has already taken the newly arrived ones." Sanghyuk blabers out without thinking. 

"Master Hakyeon?" Taekwon questioned. 

Ken gulped and bit his bottom lip. 

"Master, my father will send more of them tomorrow. If not then day after tomorrow." Ken reasures

"You know I'm not patient." Taekwon tilts his face to make Ken look at his death stare. 

"We've never displeased you, have we master?" Sanghyuk speaks. 

Taekwoon arches his eyebrow again, expression more towards cool now. He sighs and got up from his seat to get close to Ken. 

"I'll be here for a week," He says as his hands shifts up to fix the perfumer's tie. 

"If you give it to someone other than me. There will be consequences." He shifts the tie-knot high enough to strangle Ken. 

"I understand, m-master." Ken manages to say. 

Taekwoon removes his hand from his tie and slips them around his waist. Pulling him into a hug. 

The hug was cold; and oh so awkward. Sanghyuk was internally dying by the cringe. 

Habits are habits, some of them can be changed and others can't. And Ken's habit of sniffing other people's neck when they hug him was something he couldn't change.

After all, he was a scentist. 

Taekwoon's scent was easily noticeable, he smelled of wood and smoke. It was definitely strong. 

"Long time no see." Taekwoon whispers. 

"Indeed." Ken says. 

_This is the most awkward situation I've ever been._

Thought Hyuk as he curls in his lips. 

Taekwoon kept the other in his embrace for a minute or so before letting go of him. Taekwoon was cold but Ken was warm, or at least warmer than him. 

Sanghyuk bowed to his master as he existed the shop. He sighs in relief. 

"Sanghyuk, why did you tell him about Hakyeon? You know they don't like each other."

"Exactly." Hyuk smirks. 

Ken makes a face in disappointment as he cups his own neck. 

"You're unbelievable." Ken says with sheer disappointment. 

"Oh by the way, did Hongbin hyung brought in the new essential oils I asked him for?"

"Hey, you should know that's he's a drug supplier. Not a material supplier."

"He told me to ask him anything I want. Plus I couldn't find a specific oil." Hyuk states. 

"Wait, does he want to become my sugar daddy?" He gasps.

Ken rolls his eyes and walks behind the shelves to turns off the chandelier. 

"He did. It's in your room. But please before ordering him things, take my permission. Okay?." Ken asks. Hyuk nods

"Grab your stuff," Ken says. 

"Let's get some rest."


	3. A Sweet Experiment

Ken sat down on his bed, staring up at the celling. It was no doubt that the city looked pleasant at night. 

He thought about his childhood, how he'd practice shooting guns instead of playing football. He'd play cards with his mother though. Because that's the only game she was good at. He didn't go out and played with the other kids, or caused trouble. He was a good child. His dad was forever busy with work. And so his uncle, aka Hyuk's father, would be with him. 

He's actually thankful, at the fact that he's uncle taught him so many things. If he wouldn't have been with him. He wouldn't have known how to protect himself. 

His eyes gaze over the glass tank, where, the red milk snake was placed. It slithered onto his arm when he went in and pet it with his finger. The snake is not poisonous, only when threatened. And Ken will never scare his friend. 

"Scarlet, did you miss me?" Ken asks. Obviously there was no response, but the cold blooded creature hissed while sticking it's tongue out.

"Of course you did." He said as he pet it.

As odd as it seems, Scarlet has never ever biten her owner, even when his uncle first brought her. She was calm, like she is now.

♘

The store was quite like always. The maknae didn't went out to do any social work today, rather, he wanted to help his hyung and make fragrances. Or at least try. 

Making scents was Ken's speciality. Everyone knows that. And it's his own pleasure to make them. 

He always thought that his life was the most cliché thing. Being the son of a drug lord. Mom being a prostitute. Him being kept hidden from the world for his safety. He saw it in the movies and dramas. Though, he doesn't care much about the past, he likes to concentrate on the present and the future.

He fixed his glasses and carefully dropped a few drops of essential oil into the ethanol. Swirling the tube side by side. He was sure of this fragrance. It was clean and fresh. Like water. Something men would prefer. 

The scent reminded him of the oceans and seas, of how deep and mysterious they are. And how many mystical creatures live there. The scent made him remember an incident; where he was drowning in the deep sea, he was around five at that time. His uncle was no where near him. He tried his best to swim but in vain. He felt something pulling him down whilst he tried to swim up, which made him panic. Though, all that he could remember now was the suffocation.  

He felt suffocated; his tie felt like it was choking him. The material kept in the perfume organ suddenly started to bloom and the scents intensify, making him feel nauseous. He got up and made his way to the bathroom. 

He's a strong man. But no matter how much he tries to forget. There are some memories that just won't budge. 

He splashes water on his face, shaking the feeling off. He went back into the organ and sat there, took a few deep breaths and continues his work. 

While he moved on and made other perfumes, Sanghyuk comes in, with a small box in his hands. 

"Hyung, I finished my new fragrances." He says 

Ken turns around and sees Hyuk smiling. 

"Someone's happy." Ken says. 

"Well, the final product is quite impressive you see." Hyuk pushes his hair back. 

"Shall I smell one of them?" Ken asks. 

"Sure." Hyuk's eyes brighten up. 

"I'll pick." Ken says as he peeks over the box. 

The stoppers of the perfumes were different colored. Ken picked up one of them and looked up at Hyuk. 

"You indeed have a great taste." Hyuk says. 

Ken takes a sample sheet from his desk and sprays the perfume on it. 

He sniffs it. The scent brings him back to his childhood. Back to his mother's favorite fragrance. He clearly recalls her using the exact same scent whenever she'd go out. 

"Hyuk, this smells like Candie's by Liz Claiborne." He blunts out. 

"Eh, what?"

"It was popular in the early 90's." Ken says. 

He stays there for a moment, inhaling the sheet. He felt warm and safe, just like how he'd feel when his mother would hug him, or when she'd bring him close to her when he'd sleep. He could smell and feel his mother after a long long time. And it felt pleasant. Very pleasant. 

Sanghyuk tapped his toe on the floor. 

"So, are we gonna keep this or...?" He asks. 

"No, we wont." Ken says. 

"Why though?"

"It's a very commonly used perfume. Anyone can recognize it." The nez says. Placing the bottle on his desk rather than putting it back. 

"Okay, but only that one. It took me more than an hour to make each one of these."

"Alright alright, just this one." Ken smiles slightly. 


	4. Eager Whisper, Unmistakable formula

"Ken." Called out Hakyeon as he stepped into the shop. 

The nez was no where to be found. He wasn't behind the counter. Or on the phone with his clients. 

Hakyeon bit his lip. He knew Ken will never step out of his shop, even if he did; Hyuk would have told him. And he'd never go downstairs when the store is open. 

So, Yeon's feet automatically walked into the perfume organ. It's Ken's world. His place of peace. 

The master knocked on the door and peeked in to see Ken in a white shirt and suspenders. His hair swept back, a little messy; and his lips ever so pink. His round glasses shifted down to the tip of his nose. Hakyeon could smell all of the different fragrances. His hand went in and adjusted Ken's glasses. The scentist jumped a bit. 

"Good evening." Hakyeon says. 

"You scared me master." Ken says with a frightened look. 

"What did I say about calling me master when it's just two of us?"

"H-hyung," He says softly. 

"When did you come in?"

"Just now, I called you but you didn't answer. So I thought I'd visit you. But it seems like you're busy." Hakyeon leans on the desk. 

"Not really, I was just experimenting with some new Tinctures." Ken says. 

"What are tinctures?" 

"Tinctures are fragrant materials produced by directly soaking and infusing raw materials in ethanol. They're very thin liquids." He explains. 

"Interesting." Yeon says.

"Are you here to test out the new scents?"

"I originally came here because I was bored. But it wouldn't hurt smelling some good fragrances, hmm?" Hakyeon smirks. 

"Of course." Ken smiles and drags a chair beside him. Hakyeon sits on it. 

"What kind of scents do you want to try?" Ken asks. 

"The newest." Yeon replies. 

Ken crouches down and takes out a small box, which was labeled "Hyukie's" with a squishy face. 

"Hyuk made these." Ken says proudly. 

"You look like a proud dad." Hakyeon jokes. 

The nez chuckles and places the box in front of him. Hakyeon takes out his handkerchief and picks up one of the perfumes out to spray it on the cloth. However, Ken stops him. 

"Hakyeon, that's the wrong way of doing it." Ken says. 

 

"You're supposed to use sample sheets." He says as he takes the handkerchief and replaces it with a sheet. 

"Fine." Hakyeon murmurs as sprays the perfume on the sheet. 

He continued to test the fragrances. Whilst Ken resumes to his work, not ignoring his hyung though.

Hakyeon liked to watch Ken work, he liked the way he'd take simple things and make something beautiful. He also liked the way Ken looked while working. 

His lips were Yeon's favorite, he loved how plumped they were. He wondered how soft they felt, or how they tasted. He eyed him as if he was a precious jewel. For Hakyeon he was, yes. And he wanted to keep it to himself. 

Ken kept smelling something different in the air. Something warm and cozy. It wasn't Hyuk's scents, or the essential oils in front of him; it was something he never smelled before. He tried to hide his curiosity but his nostrils were constantly sniffing. He stopped though, when he notice that the scent was coming from Hakyeon's handkerchief. 

Hakyeon was right beside him. He didn't wanted to look like a creepy and sniff his cloth. So he controlled himself and tried to concentrate on his work. 

Just after he finished making one of his fragrances, Hakyeon got a call from his father. 

The old man order his son to come to his office. Ken could tell that Yeon was annoyed just by looking at his expression 

"Looks like you're gonna go early today." Ken says. 

"Sadly." Yeon sighs as he got up from his chair. 

"I'll come again whenever I'm free."

"My store is always open for you." Ken stands up and smiles. 

Hakyeon smiles in return and lifts his hand up for a hand shake. Ken accepts the offer and intertwines his hands with him.

"Until next time." Hakyeon says. 

He exists the shop. Leaving Ken alone with his scent. 


	5. My World Is Locked Up

"Hyung, you don't have any siblings right?" Sanghyuk asks. 

"Of course I do." Ken replies. 

"His name is Han Sanghyuk. My little brother." He says as he ruffles the boy's hair. 

"Hyung! I'm serious." He whines. 

Ken chuckles and shakes his head. 

"I'm the only child." He says as he stabs the chopsticks in the rice. 

"Life must have been boring then." Hyuk scrunches his nose. 

"Not really, life is life. It's unpredictable and fucked up." Ken states. 

As they chat on the breakfast table. They heared a phone ring. It wasn't the candlestick phone from the store, or Sanghyuk's phone, or the landline. 

It was Ken's phone. 

"Speaking of unpredictable." Sanghyuk says in a sarcastic tone. 

Ken gives him a look before answering the phone. 

"Good morning dad."

Sanghyuk choked on his soup. Ken's dad called him, which means someone or something has fucked up. 

"No, I was having breakfast with Sanghyuk." He continues. 

"Yes dad, yes, yes. I understand." He bit his lip as he looked up at Hyuk. 

"Okay, I'll be there at dinner time. Bye, take care." Ken hangs up the phone. 

"Am I going to die?" Hyuk asks. 

"No, well at least not today." Ken jokes. 

"Father wants to meet me." He says while placing his phone down. 

"When was the last time you've met him?" Hyuk questions. 

"I don't know. A year maybe? I couldn't keep track."

"That's a long ass time." Hyuk sing songs.

"We'll close the shop early today." Ken orders. 

"If Hakyeon shows up. Tell him I went out to meet his uncle."

"Yes sir." Hyuk replies. 

♘

The restaurant his father choose to meet at was very expensive. Which was expected from a rich man. Ken was early, and his father was late. Like always. 

"I'll have a glass of wine." He orders to the waiter. 

He sits there. For a couple of minutes. Then for an hour. 

He sips on his wine, clearly bored and tired. But when he is about to order an another glass of wine. The drug lord finally shows up. 

"Sorry Ken, I had to attend a meeting. Took longer than expected." He apologizes as he sits on the chair. 

"It's okay, master. I understand that you're a busy man. The fact that you made time for me, is something very honorable." Ken smiles. 

The relation between the two is a secret. For Ken's sake, of course. 

The father and son are slient. Eating their food and drinking wine. Unlike a normal family get together, where everyone is talking and gossiping. Ken and his father likes to zip their mouths when they're out in public. They are human after all, and humans are known to make mistakes; doesn't matter if you're a drug lord or a nez. 

Ken is completely fine with the quietness. Just seeing his father, alive and healthy, is enough for him. 

Jaehong was always busy, but he has always loved his son. Though he doesn't know how to express it. And Ken knows about this, but for him, it doesn't really matter if his father expresses it or not. Knowing the fact that he loves him makes Ken happy. 

By the time they finished their dinner. It was already 8pm. Time for his father to go. 

"How's the store going?" His father asks. 

"Fine." He says as he opens the car door. 

His father pats his shoulder, lightly. And smiles. 

"Take care." The father says. 

"You too master." The son replies. 


	6. Sweet Dreams

The black and white keys on the piano sung divine melodys. And when played with skills, the keyboard made such beautiful tunes. It was no doubt that Taekwoon had those skills. 

For Ken, scents are his escape. For Taekwoon, piano is. 

He played it with all his body and soul. Yet he was gentle, and calm with it. As if he was touching something made out of glass. After all, he is a pianist. 

Taekwoon touched the keys, remembering the days of his teen years. How be reckless yet soft he was. He sat down and played his favorite tune; moonlight sonata. 

Everyone knows this tune, and loves it too. But for him, it was like a souvenir. 

He slowly started pressing the keys, the magical tune escaping from the keyboard. The moon was in full bloom, yet lonely, just like him. He remembered the time when he disliked the instrument, and thought that it was just too plain. 

But his teacher, Miss Nara, opened his eyes and showed him the world of music and passion. He loved the warmth in her smile, and her unbreakable love for music. She was indeed a blossom from paradise. 

Taekwoon felt warm whenever he'd play this tune, he could sense his teacher's presence, he could feel her warmth. 

His thoughts snapped when he heard a knock on the door. 

"Come in." He said. 

A young boy peeked in with a file. He smiled, showing his white and straight teeth. 

"Sorry I had to disturb you master." He says. 

"It's fine Wonsik." Taekwoon says with no emotions. 

"Your father wanted me to hand you these file immediately." Wonsik hands out the black file to him. 

"Do you know what's in it?" Taekwoon arches his eyebrow. 

Wonsik simply shakes his head. 

"And about the code." Wonsik says. 

"You know, master Lee's son, Jaehwan. He's a perfumer right? Well, a superior of mine said that Jaehwan could know about the codes. Since his father was the last person who had them." He explains. 

"I'm not 100% sure about this information. But it does make sense, right master?" He asks. 

"Yes, yes it does." Taekwoon gulps. 

"Good job Wonsik." He says. 

♘

Sanghyuk closed the door behind him and jumped on his bed, pulling the sleeping mask on his eyes. 

Before he could step into his dream land, his phone rang. 

He picked it up to see Hongbin's number. 

"Hyung, do you know what time it is?" Hyuk asked. 

"Umm, like 1pm or something?" Hongbin says. 

"1am." Hyuk corrected 

Hongbin took a moment to respond. 

"Oh yeah, it's 1am." He says. 

"Binie hyung, are you high right now?" The boy asks. 

"...no." Bin denies. 

"You are, why the fuck are you high at one-"

"Can I talk now?" The hyung says.  

Hyuk sighs. "Go aheah."

"What are you doing?" Hongbin asks. 

"Seriously hyung?" 

"What? I'm asking you a simple question."

"Obviously, I was sleeping." Hyuk hugs his pillow tighter. 

"Hyungie feels lonely." Hongbin says. 

"So?" Hyuk asks. 

"So? You should talk to me." The hyung says. 

"At 1am?"

"Yes." Bin says. 

Hyuk sighs again and frowns. 

"Okay, what do you wanna talk about?" He says. 

"Our childhood."

"Why?"

 

"Just wanted to remember the time all six of us used to be together." Bin chuckles. 

"You were cute back then."

 

"I still am." Hyuk scrunches his nose. 

"Your eyes are blood shot now. And blood shot eyes ain't cute." Hongbin says. 

"What about you? You weren't a junkie back then."

"So?"

"So? You look like a corpse. I can't recognize you at times."

"Come on, I'm still handsome." Hongbin tries to convince. 

"That's what you think." Hyuk says

"Taekwoon hyung use to be bossy and short tempered." 

"He still is, he never changed." Hongbin response. 

 

"Remember when he and Hakyeon hyung had a huge fight over a toy?" Hyuk scratchs his neck. 

"Yeah, they were fucking idiots. Now they are intellectuals." 

"Not sure about that, but okay." Hyuk nods. 

"Ken hyung was always quiet. Like he is now." The hyung taps on his phone. 

"Ken hyung use to be busy making scents with my dad." 

"Yeah." Bin says. 

"Hyukie, can I ask you something?"

Hyuk hums.

"What are we? All six of us." Hongbin asks.

"Growing up we were cousins, friends. What are we now?"

Hyuk was silent. Really, what are they now? Being an adult meant maturity and responsibility. It didn't meant hiding your relations and acting like strangers. 

"Ken hyung is perfumer, Hakyeon hyung is the ceo of his father's company, Taekwoonie hyung is a drug lord, you're a junkie and I'm Ken hyung's assistant." Sanghyuk bites his lips.

"That's it, isn't it?"

"....I'm not a junkie, Hyuk. I'm a drug supplier and producer."

"Still a junkie."

"Shut the fuck up." Hongbin sighs. 

Sanghyuk chuckled. 

"Oh and Hyukie. It 2am now, you can only get 4 hours of sleep."

Hyuk gasped softly. 

"Hyung I gotta-" 

"SIKE it's half pass one." Hongbin hung up on him before he could say anything. 

"I swear to god this hyung is weird as fuck." He whines. 

"Wait, who was the sixth person he was talking about?" The maknae mumbles


	7. The Scent The Sweet Obsessions

"Hyukie." Ken knocks on the door. 

"Who the fuck is it at midnight?" Sanghyuk curses under his breathe. 

When he opens the door, Ken smiles at him. Hyuk was in his pajamas, with a sleeping mask on his head. He looks extremely sleepy. 

"I take back what I said." Hyuk says as he walks back in the house. 

He walks into his room, which was downstairs. Ken's room was upstairs. He climbed up and took off his jacket. He took off his belt and placed it on his desk. That's when he saw Hakyeon's handkerchief; the one which he forgot to take with him the other day.

He held the handkerchief closer to his face, sniffing, taking in it's owner's natural scent and almost felt like home. Hakyeon's scent had that effect on Ken. It took him back into his mother's warm embrace where he felt nothing but secure and protected. 

Soon a sense of warmth took over him as he clenched onto the lavender cloth and fell back on the bed, his mind taking him to all the long forgotten places, places he'd never dare to go, and also the places which his entire existence denied, infact forbidden him to go.

But today Ken was more than willing to put his guard down and explore the limits of his own imagination.

He put the kerchief to his nose one last time and draws a deep breath before closing his eyes and giving into his feelings.

A deep dark flowing river gave refuge to a wayward boat floating under the dim illumination of the moon, the sole spectator of it's passenger. Ken lay amidst an array of colorful flowers in the meek wooden boat, staring up at the cloudless sky. His hands graze over the floral blanket around his, humming a song. Each flower emits a unique smell and Ken made sure he captures them all.

He smells the flower which he has unconsciously plucked from under his hand. It smelled of blood, pure vile and violence which he dislikes. The next one smells sweet, too sweet for his liking but he wears the flower behind his ear. For his next selection, he closes his eyes and randomly picks the one with the strongest fragrance.

The smell was nothing but a result of the concoction of danger and sin, of burning passion and fantasies which arose many violent desires in his racing heart. The smell was almost daunting, daring Ken to look deeper into his own self. Shocked and amazed, he quickly pulls the flower away from him.

Soon, his nose picks a different, better fragrance. Curiousity makes him sit up to find the source of the smell, his rapid action wobbling the boat a little. He could see something bubbling up over the stagnant surface of the water, vying for his attention, so he turn his head around only to see a pair of intoxicating eyes staring at him just above the surface.

For a second, Ken forgets how to breathe. He was immediately taken in by the beauty of those eyes, it was as if they were drawing him closer. Soon he realises he was peeking over the edge of the boat. Then his eyes beholds the sight of the owner of those orbs to fully emerge from the rippling water. The merman's glinting skin and glowing eyes, his natural scent captures Ken in a rapture as he reaches out and cups his face, startling him.

Ken irresistibly takes his visitor's warm hand off of his cheek and presses it against his face. The high from his smell was indescribable. It was as if his olfactory senses had been dead all this time but are only aroused by the scent of his skin.

Ken wanted Hakyeon for all by himself. He wanted to plant delicate kisses where ever his exquisite skin would allow him for he was art and Ken know how to appreciate such artistry. 

But sadly Ken's mind was well aware of the fact that we only dream of the realities which we have experienced. So when he tried to press his lips against Haekyeon's skin, he couldn't feel anything.

He open his eyes in sheer disappointment, only to find the merman going back into the water; a tease like he always has been.

The dream fades away as the bright sunshine penetrates into Ken's closed eyelids. It was over, the visualisation of his inner fantasies, as he slowly opens his eyes into a new morning; where he'd once again deny his feelings for Haekyeon. Just to calm his young throbbing heart.


	8. Thousands Of Colors Are Scattered

"You see these, Jaehwan?" Jaehong says. 

"These are Misa flowers. They grow once in every four years. The flower itself has no scent, however, when you soke the misa pommade in ethanol; it smells light, clean and elegant. You can find these only in Japan." 

"Are we gonna use these as the middle note, daddy?" Little Ken questions

"No, we'll be making single floral fragrance." Jaehong smiles. 

"What does single floral mean?" Ken asks. 

"Fragrances that are dominated by a scent from one particular flower are called single floral. In French it's called a soliflore." The father explains. 

"I'm going to show you how to make an Absolute." He says as he ruffles the boy's hair. 

The sunlight was too harsh and forced Ken to exist his dream land. He tried to cover his eyes with his blanket, but it suffocated him. He groaned in annoyance and sat up on his bed, it was 7 o'clock exact. 

"Hyungie." Hyuk knocked. 

"Are you awake?"

"Yeah." Ken replies. 

"Well, good morning. I made breakfast for us, even tho it was your turn." Sanhyuk says a little loudly. 

Ken opens the door, accidentally hitting Hyuk's face. 

"Give me ten minutes." The nez says. 

♘

The store was full of customer today. It was the weekend yet many people decide to go out and shop, rather than stay in their homes. Hyuk was running from here and there like crazy. Ken was at the cashier, as usual. Most of the customers were the regulars, like Sandul, Seokjin, the colorful lady and more. Jaehwan checked the clock, it was eight o'clock, time for his shop to close.

Ken was flipping the pages of his (scent) recipe book. Though at times, the last customers in the shop did interrupted him but it was fine. It really was fine until he noticed Hakyeon and Taekwoon, standing in front of his desk. 

"Rare to see the both of you together, masters."

"I got here first, he followed me." Hakyeon says. 

"I'm not a dog, like some people." Taekwoon sighs. 

"Master Taekwoon called you a dog." Hyuk pops out of nowhere and whispers to Hakyeon. 

"Trust in a fucking dog than a man, is what my father use to tell me." Hakyeon says. 

"Dogs bite." Taekwoon sighs.

"Umm excuse me, but can you tell me why you're here?" Ken asks. 

"For the itars." Taekwoon and Hakyeon says at the sametime. 

Hakyeon smirks bitterly while Taekwoon rolls his eyes. 

Ken curls his lips in. Hyuk swallows his chuckle. 

"Isn't it a bit late tho?" Ken says under his breathe. 

"So? Are you gonna kick me out?" Taekwoon questions coldly. 

"He never kicked me out. I don't know about you." Hakyeon mumbles. He looks beside him to see the white headed man give him a death stare. 

"Just saying, chill." Yeon steps back a few steps. 

As the two masters "talked" to each other. Hyuk noticed a guy, a new face. He had golden locks, which were gelled in a coma hair, almost giving him a wet look. He was wearing a suit, but the shirt underneath had two buttons undone, revealing his tattoo. His pouty lips and bright eyes were very attractive. And his lips was curved in a smile. 

He eyed ever fragrance, every person. He especially eyed Ken, he infact was staring at him. Hyuk elbowed Ken in the shoulder. 

"That dude's staring at you hard." He snitchs. 

"Who wouldn't? Anyone would love to stare at a handsome face." Ken jokes. But he sounded soulless. 

"Hyung I'm serious." Hyuk whines. 

Ken wets his lips before looking at Hyuk. 

"It's not a "oh he's so handsome" stare." Sanghyuk says. 

"It's more of a killing stare. Like as if he's cursing you with his eyes."

Ken sighs. "Where is he?"

"9 o'clock. Blondie, tattoo on the chest." Hyuk says. 

Ken looks around the shop. There was a person with blonde hair but it was a female. He looked everywhere but failed to see the man Hyuk was talking about. 

"I can't see him." Ken says, frowning. 

Hyuk too searched to find the man, but he wasn't there. 

"Hongbin said you didn't get much sleep last night." Ken says. 

"Maybe you're just tired."

"Hongbin hyung snitched on me? Damn it, that's my job." Hyuk srunches his nose in anger. 

"Go and make them sit in a room." He says as he fixes his round glasses. 

"Don't do anything funny."

"When did I ever?" Hyuk mumbles as he walks out of the cashier. The two masters follows the maknae. 

"Fuck." Ken sighs as he covers his hands on his face.  

"Why can't I find it?" He ruffles his hair in annoyance.


	9. Gorgeous Yet Monotonous Pattern

The city of flowers, Ilsan, was oddly calm today. It made Ken feel a bit uncomfortable. Ilsan maybe be referred to as flowers; but it definitely wasn't as pretty as it sounds. When things do get pretty, it's suspicious. 

It was Wednesday, which means Hyuk will visit his father. And Ken too was going to visit his father. Though he kept thinking about one thing. 

Misa Kaori. 

It was a fragrance his father taught him when he was younger. The only thing his father ever taught him was that recipe. But sadly, he forgot about it, and that irked him, a lot. 

He looked through his books, his notes but in vain; he couldn't even remember it. You see, Ken is the type of person who, once looses something, keeps thinking about it. And that makes him cranky. 

He hopped off his Harley Davidson and placed the helmet on the handle. His house, or his father's house was huge. It was mostly made up of glass, but the rest of it was covered in brown wood. He walked in the garden, and saw his father drinking tea while reading a news paper, a typical dad thing.

The garden was full of lilac flowers. Some white, some purple, and some combined with the both colors. The white table and chair gave the whole garden a fresh and clean look. He recalls himself playing here with Hyuk all the time. This was his garden once. 

"Good morning master." He speaks. 

"Good morning." The father says as he sipped on his tea. 

"How have you been?" Jaehong asks. 

"Fine, and you?" Ken says while sitting on the white chair. 

"Fine." He says. 

Like always, they are silent for a moment. It's not an awkward silence, it's more of a "let's take our time" type of silence. And Ken likes it. 

"Master, can I ask you something?" Ken asks

"Go ahead."

"Do you remember the recipe for Misa Kaori?" Ken questions. 

The father stops reading. Eyes shifting slowly to look at the son. 

"Why do you ask?" He says.

"I t's been bothering me, a bit. I wanted to make it but I can't remember the recipe." Ken replies. 

Jaehong took his time to respond, he folded the news paper, sipped on his tea, and leaned on his chair. 

"I told you that I'll show you that recipe once and only once. You have to remember it." He says. 

Ken bites his inner cheek. Something he'd do when irritated. 

"Master, I was so young at that time, how am I suppose to remember it now?" He raises his eyebrow. 

"Just like how you remember your mother. You were too young when you use to be with her, but you still remember her." Jaehong sighs. 

"Father." Ken sort of whines. 

"Do you know the story of Syringa?" His father says off topic. 

Ken looks at him in confusion, but eventually shakes his head. 

"She was a nymph according to Greek Mythology. Her beauty captivated Pan, the god of forests and fields. One day, Syringa was in a forest. Pan chased her. Frightened by his affection, she escaped him by turning into an aromatic bush; now known as lilac." Jaehong tells the tale. 

"Your birth flower explains a lot about you, and how you should live your life, Jaehwan. There might be some people who will chase you, some for love, and some for greed. But always remember that in this world, you either fight or die. Do you understand?" The father says, strictness in his tone. 

"Yes, father."


	10. Complete Dizzines

Ken  was back in his house. And in the perfume organ. Most people might think that it's a suffocating, claustrophobic place; but Ken felt the most safe there.

He likes being surround by different variety of fragrances. Though only he could identify all those various smells. Other people, such as Hyuk or Hongbin, could only smell the ethanol or the scent of cardboard boxes. Hakyeon was different, like Ken, he could differentiate every scent in that organ. And that was enough to impress the nez.  

He tried to focus on his work, but his mind made him think about Misa Kaori. For a second, he could remember it, but couldn't recall it after a few seconds. And that made him very cranky. 

He wondered about the tale his father told him about Syringa. How his father used it as a metaphor to describe his life. It wasn't like he was being dense, rather, he was confused as to why his father brought that up in between a completely different topic. 

This led him to make a scent, a scent which smelled of confusing, frustrating and uneasiness. He immediately discarded the fragrance and leaned on his chair. 

He closed his eyes and bit his plump lip. He should relax, he needs to relax. If he doesn't, he won't be able to make any perfumes today. But the more he tries to calm down, the more his mind reminds him of the flower or the scent. 

The silence is broken by a knock on the door. Hakyeon peeked in with a smile on his face. Ken smiled in return. 

"Morning Kenie." Yeon says. 

"You're here early today." Ken says. 

"Well, I wanted to take you out." Hakyeon said with dominance while he sat on the desk. 

"I'm a boring person to go out with." Ken says as he shrugged a bit. 

"Don't say that. It's fun to be around you." Yeon assures. 

Ken smiles at the compliment. Feeling the blood tint his cheeks. 

"What were you doing?" Hakyeon asks. 

"I was making some new perfumes. But I'm having hard time." Ken replies. 

"Is something bothering you?" Yeon tilts his head. 

"No," Ken lies. 

"I just woke up in a bad mood."

"I see." Yeon swung his legs. He notice a small bottle with a dropper at the corner of the desk, filled with yellowish liquid. 

"What's this?" He questions. 

"That's one of the perfumes I tried to make today." Ken leans back on his chair. 

"Can I try it?" Yeon arches his eyebrow. 

"It's not the best, but fine. Use this." Ken says as he offers him a sheet. 

Hakyeon looked at it for a moment before he smirked. He dropped a few drops of the perfume on his neck, instead of dropping it on the sheet. He rubbed the liquid into his skin with his wrist. 

As Hakyeon rubbed in the perfume, the same scent which smelled of frustration, suddenly started to smell good on him. The fragrance smelled so good that Ken felt aroused. Ken wanted to smell him more and more, he wanted to grip on his hair and force him to expose him neck, so that he could ruin his pretty skin. He wanted to kiss every single part of his body. Yes, he needs to do that, he has to do that-

"Ken?" Yeon snaps Ken out of his thoughts. 

"Y-yes?" He responds, wetting his lips. 

"I said I'll be waiting for you in my car." Hakyeon says. He still was smirking, as if he knew what his scent did to Ken. 

"Oh, alright." Ken manages to smile. 


	11. The Falling Strings Of My Insanity

"H-hakyeon, slow down." Ken says as he grips tightly on the seat belt. 

"Isn't this fun?!" Hakyeon says loudly. Expression more towards the sadist side. Ken swallows a scream when Hakyeon speeds up. 

When they finally reach the Jeongbalsan park, Hakyeon parks aggressively. Ken steps out of the car with shaking legs. 

"I-I'll drive back home." He stutters. 

"Okay." Yeon says brightly. 

The park was full of brown, yellow leaves. The air was somewhat warm. Hakyeon was walked slowly, maybe appreciating the woody scent, or appreciating the visuals of the sensory. The scentist didn't know. 

"Jaehwan, how long have we've known each other?" Hakyeon asks. 

"For more than fifteen years." Ken answers. 

"You know, we're all grown up now. And....there might come a time when things will get tough for us. Maybe, just maybe, there might come a time when our friendship will be at risk. And I might lose my position. Both at work and in our friendship." Hakyeon bites his lips. 

"Is there something wrong at work?" Ken stops and gazed at Yeon, innocence in his tone and eyes. Hakyeon laughs softly and sweetly. Holding Ken's hand. 

"No...no everything's fine at work." Yeon smiles. 

"I just wanted to get that off my chest." 

The nez smiles sweetly and pats Hakyeon's shoulder. 

"Don't worry, no matter what happens, you'll always be my friend." Ken reassures. 

"You really mean that?" Yeon scrunches his nose. 

Ken nods. Yeon sighs in relief. 

♘

"Taekwoon." Minwoon calls. 

"Yes, father?" Taekwoon looks up from his book. 

"How's the hunt?" He asks as he types on his laptop. 

"Well, like you said, uncle Jaehong was the last person who had those files. So clearly-"

"Jaehwan has it, right?" The father questions. 

"Yes." Taekwoon agrees while flipping the pages of his book. 

"Though, there's one thing I'd like know, if it's fine with you." The son says while he looks up. 

"What does those files contain? And why is everyone obsessed with them?" He questions, emphasis on "everyone". 

"Some say it contains confidential information, some say it contains the ultimate recipe for a perfume. Never the less, if you get your hands on those files; you're considered as the king of Korea. And I want them no matter what."

"So you want to be the king?" Taekwoon tilts his head. 

The father pauses for a moment, sighing before he takes off his glasses

"Won't it be fun? To control a whole country?" Minwoon arched his eyebrow. 


End file.
